A smattering of news on the coaching carousel as it pertains to jobs of the open and not-quite-yet variety.
Fresno State
Status: Interim coach
Multiple industry sources expect interim head coach Tim Skipper to get a legitimate shot at keeping the job permanently (something that happened last year in the MW with Boise State and Spencer Danielson). Fresno's athletic director, Garrett Klassy, was announced as AD weeks before Jeff Tedford stepped down on July 15, and formally began his tenure in the job eight days later. The Bulldogs are 4-3 with the losses coming to Michigan, UNLV and Washington State. The remainder of their schedule features mostly winnable Mountain West games and flailing UCLA. A strong finish would be huge for Skipper.
Utah State
Status: Interim coach
The Aggies actually got the coaching cycle started July 2 when athletic director Diana Sabau announced her intent to fire Blake Anderson, which they made official on July 18. But the search process has not started in earnest according to multiple industry sources. Nate Dreiling is the interim coach.
Southern Miss
Status: Open (Fired Will Hall on Oct. 20)
The Golden Eagles may have some suitors due to their location, but it is unlikely the job pays more than $1 million per year which makes it bottom third salary wise nationally. Like every Group of Five job that will open this cycle there will be significant concerns about if the school is equipped to meet the moment should revenue sharing payments become a requirement in 2025 or 2026. An industry source indicated that head coaching experience is not a prerequisite, and some names in the mix include Skip Holtz (head coach USFL); Anthony Jones, Jr. (running backs coach, USC); and alums Derrick Nix (offensive coordinator, Auburn) or Pat Surtain Sr. (defensive backs, FSU).
East Carolina
Status: Open (Fired Mike Houston on Oct. 20)
This job is expected to pay between $2-$2.5 million, and is viewed as considerably better than Southern Miss when stacked against each other due to the Pirates' relative advantage in resources, but is it good enough to entice big name coordinators at blue blood programs like Garrett Riley (offensive coordinator, Clemson) or Joe Sloan (offensive coordinator, LSU)?
One of the most important things to watch in this cycle is the continued trend of how Group of Five jobs are being considered by play callers who could be in perpetual College Football Playoff contention if they stay put. Other candidates include Jay Bateman (defensive coordinator, Texas A&M); Willie Simmons (assistant HC/running backs, Duke); and Bill Clark (former UAB head coach). 247Sports' excellent ECU site Hoist the Colours has an updated hot board here you can check out.
Louisiana Tech
Status: Not open
Bulldogs coach Sonny Cumbie was one of the most under-fire coaches coming into the season after a coordinator change at the end of 2023. La Tech (3-4) so far only has one FBS win, and is a likely candidate for change unless things change in a hurry in Ruston.
Baylor
Status: Not open
Another heavily hot-seated candidate was head coach Dave Aranda, who got a key win against Texas Tech last week. Every game remaining on the schedule is critical and the Bears (3-4 overall, 1-3 Big 12) will likely be favored in most, if not all, of them. While the preference by Baylor brass may not be to move on from him, the Bears do need to take care of business coming down the stretch.
